Which film by the Coen Brothers do you think is the best?
I only listed the ones they wrote, produced, and directed but I left a option for others.
I seen 'em first!
I haven’t seen them all. I’ve seen the majority of them, but I still haven’t worked up the courage for No Country For Old Men. That’s the biggest gap in my viewing. Of the ones I have seen, my vote goes to A Serious Man. Lots to think about, great performances, hilarious and disturbing dark comedy, and a gut-punch ending. I left laughing and feeling miserable.
Fargo and The Big Lebowski are too obvious, so I decided to give The Hudsucker Proxy some love.
The Coen’s work provides an embarrassment of riches; very tough choice. But in the end, like Bayard, I went with A Serious Man. It’s profound, and consistently, well, interesting. There’s not a moment that rings false, and yet it’s heightened and deeply emotional. And funny. Just a wrenching, masterful movie.
I have great and sincere love for Fargo, Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Hudsucker Proxy, and even Burn After Reading. The others are wonderful, too (though there are three on the list I haven’t yet seen).
Fargo, simply because it put the Minnesota accent on the map (if that makes sense).
Fargo set a high bar, but I was extremely impressed by Hail Ceasar and there are several others that are great films.
My fave has always been Miller’s Crossing. Fargo running a close second.
*Fargo *or Big Lebowski.
*Oh Brother *running third.
*No Country for Old Men *is their worst.
I love so many of them, and they are all different, which is unusual for someone with so many films to their credit.
Voted for O Brother, but it took a minute to choose between that and Fargo. And Lebowski. And Hudsucker.
I found O Brother, Where Art Thou? just a tad weak and am surprised it’s leading in the poll now. I’d say Fargo by a nose, with Miller’s Crossing and Blood Simple tied for second, with several really close behind for third.
The Dude abides. Lebowski, forever and ever, amen.
While Blood Simple is less polished than their later films, it has a smothering noir perfection that few films can touch. My only dislike is that I think the VHS version, which used “I’m a Believer” as the jukebox tune, works better than the theatrical/DVD version of whatever goopy song was originally chosen.
Four Oscar-worthy performances, dead black humor delivered with precision timing, and one of the most wonderful confusion plots ever penned. It’s not until the third time you watch it that you realize not one of the four characters knows what’s happening… ever.
“I ain’t afraid o’ you, Marty!”
ETA: I absolutely don’t get the love for Lebowski. Leaves me completely cold.
Tough choice, but I went with O, Brother? It was a combination of story, acting, period, and music that’s a very tough combo to beat.
I still have mad, mad love for Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, and No Country For Old Men.
ETA: True Grit!
Haven’t seen all of the others, so it may be possible at some point that I’d change my mind.
Close for me between O, Brother and True Grit. But since I bought True Grit (and rewatched it a couple of times) when it came out but did not buy O, Brother, I guess that means it is True Grit. I also like Hudsucker Proxy.
Of course, the funny thing about them is I find everybody has movies they like of theirs and then some they hate. For example, I can’t stand Fargo.
I’m very fond of Fargo, Inside Llewyn Davis and Intolerable Cruelty and enjoy almost all the others as well. But O Brother wins by a whisker because I just loved everything about it: The dialogue, the music, the story, the Iliad framework, the actors, the characters. It delights me from beginning to end.
I’ve re-watched The Big Lebowski more times than I’ve re-watched any other movie. I know It’s got a reputation as a stoner movie to watch with your inebriated friends, but I strongly recommend watching it sober, by yourself. (Not that it isn’t fun to watch with your buddies and yell along with all the well known lines.) Every time I watch it I see something new.
Raising Arizona only just edges out Fargo for me. Possibly because it contains one scene that never fails to have my in stitches no matter how often I see it. “Son, you got a panty on your head!”. Laughing just thinking about it.
Expected the love to pour in for Fargo and The Big Lebowski.
Kinda surprised to see O Brother Where Art Though in the lead though.
I’ve seen most of the above films and the only one that really, truly felt “meh” was *The Ladykillers. *
When Hail Caesar! came out, my wife and I re-watched all the Coen Bros movies in preparation. Here is our ranking, although it’s only really the bottom few that we actually didn’t like and wouldn’t watch again.
- Big Lebowski
- Fargo
- No Country for Old Men
- Raising Arizona
- True Grit
- Barton Fink
- Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
- Man Who Wasn’t There
- Blood Simple
- Llewelyn Davis
- Millers Crossing
- Burn Before Reading
- A Serious Man
- Hail, Cesar!
- Intolerable Cruelty
- Hudsucker Proxy
- Lady Killers